Page 153 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

History
Gloria In
Excelsis Tower
The tower is 91m
(300ft) tall and 206m
(676ft) above sea
level, making in the
highest-standing
building in
Washington, DC.
Space window
This stained-glass
window
commemorates the
Apollo 11 mission
with swirling
planets. A tiny piece
of Moon rock is set in
the glass.
Woodrow Wilson Bay
The only president buried in
the cathedral is Woodrow The centre of the cathedral,
Wilson, who was in offi ce the Great Crossing is where
from 1913 to 1921. large services are held.
High altar
The stones of the altar
are from a quarry near
Jerusalem, where the
stones for Solomon’s
Temple were believed
to be from.
Ten commandments
The ten stones laid in front
of the High Altar are from
the Chapel of Moses on
Mountain Sinai in Egypt,
and represent the ten
commandments.
Cathedral
vs quake
On 23 August 2011 the
Washington National Cathedral
was damaged by an
earthquake. The 2011 Virginia
Earthquake measured 5.8 on
the Richter scale – the largest
seen on the US east coast
since 1944 and felt by more
people than any other quake in
US history.
Cracks appeared in the
supporting buttresses
surrounding the church, while
three of the four stone spires
on the central tower twisted
out of alignment or broke off
altogether and crashed
through the roof.
The cathedral was closed
until 7 November 2011 and
repairs – expected to cost $26
million (£17 million) and not
covered by the building’s
insurance – are ongoing.
Children’s
Chapel
Everything in the
Children’s’ Chapel
is six-year-old-
sized, including
© DK Images; Camila Ferreira & Mario Duran Ortiz
the tiny organ.
War Memorial Chapel
The Great Crossing The War Memorial Chapel
contains stained glass depictions
of battles in WWII and the
American Revolutionary War.
How It Works 153